Terry is funny and smart â in that modest, composed and thoughtful way.Â And, when I worked with him, it was clear he held (and nourished) an abiding fascination for congressional politics that was evident in the depth and breadth of his comprehension of the rules, personalities, history, politics and trivia of the US. Senate and House.

He cracked on staffers (read: me) when they couldnât immediately differentiate the senior senator from the junior senator of any given state; back in 2005, he correctly predicted then-Senator Barack Obama would be elected president, when he was truly a longshot; and going to the Presidentâs State of the Union address at the Capitol every year was greeted with the thrill most people reserve for, say, Super Bowl tickets.

Samuelâs politics is described as âleft of centerâ by Washington Times writer, Claude Marx, who writes, âFortunately, those who want to understand both the rules and the personalities that shape the modern-day Senate have a new resource available to them, âThe Upper House: A Journey Behind the Closed Doors of the U.S. Senate.â Former U.S. News & World Report congressional correspondent Terence Samuel has produced a concise, engaging and readable take on the subject.â

And while his politics might indeed be “left of center,” his opinions are reasoned, informed and practical.

Terryâs book may not be on the national radar yet, but it most likely will be. There arenât a lot of books outside of lawmaker biographies or autobiographies that document the contemporary inner workings of Congress or the day-to-day lives of America’s legislators with clarity and color like Terryâs.

“I’m thrilled to see a Black author receiving accolades for a political book that is not about Obama,â Richard Prince quotes a friendÂ at his online column Journal-isms.

Congrats, Terry. I’m reading the book and enjoying it.

Side note: This week, Richard Prince listed 10 non-fiction books to add to your reading list this summer. They are all set in Washington or written by Washington-based journalists, including Terryâs, and cover a range of subjects. See Richard Prince’s summer reading list.

The GRAMMY award winning Gospel music producer-slash-artistâs book, to be released May 18, is part-memoir, part-instructional guide.
Titled âThe Blueprint: A Plan for Living Above Lifeâs Storms,â Franklin uses an analogy to break the subject of his upcomingÂ project down. âIt’s almost like if you are trying to build a building and you’ve got all the great workers there – everybody shows up, the electrician, the construction guys, the wood guys, the light guys, and then everybody’s there to work,â he told Tavis Smiley. âBut if there’s no blueprint there, then everybody has to go on what they think is right.â

Franklin says everyone, especiallyÂ those withoutÂ strong parental figures,Â needs a spiritual blueprint toÂ live a full andÂ successful life.

In the book, Franklin encourages readers to, above all, trust the goodness of God. He says people must believe that all things will work in favor of those that love God. There are unseen rewards, FranklinÂ explains in the book,Â for doing good even if the benefits seem unclear. The host of BET Sunday’s BestÂ also offers advice for building strong, meaningful interpersonal relationships and valuable tips for maintaining overallÂ spiritual health.

To meet Franklin and get an autographed copy of âThe Blueprint,â catchÂ him on tour at one of the locations below or visit www.kirkfranklin.com.

Her method typically involves piecing together her narrative from a wide range of sources, studious reporting and good, old-fashioned snooping. Sheâs also been known to cite a number of unidentified sources, whose second-hand information doesnât add a lot of legitimacy to already cloudy claims.

Kelley says she approached Winfreyâs story with caution and respect.

According to USA Today, the book will include factoids about Winfreyâs family history that contradict the stories most people know. It will also touch on the media mogulâs private life, her sexuality and unreported tiffs with people close to her.

Her last book was âThe Family: The Real Story of the Bush Dynasty.â

“I’m really hurt, and I really feel taken advantage of for all these years,” said Thomas, the Hall of Fame point guard and former NBA coach and executive, most recently with the Knicks. “I’m totally blindsided by this. Every time that I’ve seen Magic, he has been friendly with me. Whenever he came to a Knick game, he was standing in the tunnel [to the locker room] with me. He and [Knicks assistant coach] Herb [Williams] and I, we would go out to dinner in New York. I didn’t know he felt this way.”

Tell Me More

"Nothing is assumed." That's the unofficial motto of âTell Me More,â the new Monday-Friday talk show with host
Michel Martin. Grounded in lively interviewing and compelling storytelling, the program seeks to present
diverse new voices, cross borders, challenge conventional wisdom and discover how other people think.